Although previous studies have hinted to the contrary—and it's certainly unwise to take them during pregnancy—it's been found that certain common over-the-counter painkillers (NSAID's) like Advil, Motrin, Aleve and Naprosyn, which have long been a source of concern for pregnant women, are not the definitive culprits of miscarriage. As it turns out, prescription NSAIDs are more likely the cause, as discovered in a study of nearly 3,000 pregnant women conducted by Vanderbilt University. 43% of these women used painkillers around conception or early pregnancy. While 13% of all the women (not just the painkiller users) suffered miscarriages, there was nothing to signify that NSAIDs were detrimentlal to the pregnancy.

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Concern in the past was due to the fact that Advil and the like affect prostaglandins, hormone-like substances in the body, which head researcher Digna Velez Edwards admits has yet to be 100% proven or mythbusted ("We can never know whether NSAIDs or any other medication are completely safe for pregnant women") because it is unethical to assign a control/variable group of pregnant women to take or not take a certain substance. Experts still advise that over-the-counter painkiller intake should not be taken during pregnancy as a precauation.

CLARIFICATION: As stated above, taking painkillers during pregnancy may cause birth defects and the title has been changed to reflect this as such.